Established in 1991, Chrysalis Enterprises provides a transitional jobs program to clients who face the greatest barriers to employment. Transitional employment offers our clients the opportunity to gain real-world skills, build confidence, earn a paycheck, and develop the experience needed to find and retain long-term employment. Clients working a transitional job are in an important stage of their individual transformation, which is highlighted in the interview below:
We recently sat down for a Q&A with Joseph, a Chrysalis client working a transitional job as a part of one of our freeway maintenance teams based in Santa Monica.
Chrysalis: How did you find out about Chrysalis, and why did you decide to give our program a try?
Joseph: I was referred to Chrysalis by someone who told me it was a good resource for finding jobs. It was an opportunity to rebuild my life. I was about to be done with [a treatment program] and homeless when I came to Chrysalis. Fortunately though, everything worked out. I completed the program, applied to Roads, and interviewed with a staff member from Roads. I was also engaged in the Breaking Barriers program and now, I’ve successfully been provided with housing. It was really interesting the way things just fell into place.
Chrysalis: How does it feel to be part of the Roads program?
Joseph: Chrysalis gives an opportunity for someone who has made mistakes in their past to start fresh and a place to start fresh from. I have great work experience, but my history is viewed as questionable, and Chrysalis gave me a chance. Someone said, “Chrysalis has a program that hires you if you’re a dedicated, hard worker!” — which I am.
I have been a part of my Roads crew since April. I have experience doing manual labor from when I was a carpentry assistant for two years, so it wasn’t hard to acclimate to hard work; I was able to jump in and go with the flow. Getting into the Roads program gave me more confidence in myself. It let me know that doing something very difficult makes everything else you do feel so much easier. It really prepares you.
Chrysalis: What do you like about your transitional job?
Joseph: I’m an outdoorsy person — I hike, and like things that are very active in my life. Roads allows me to enjoy the outdoor environment, which is one of my passions.
Chrysalis: What kind of job are you looking for?
Joseph: I’m looking for work either in customer service as a warehouse associate, or in food service. A staff member from Direct Hire is currently helping me with a food service position. She helped revamp my resume so it reflects what food service experience I have from 2002 when I worked at a bakery, and 1998 when I worked at Noah’s Bagels. And, when I was getting my degree for medical billing, I worked part time at a bakery.
On top of that, I get jobs through a staffing agency and do background acting. I was just on Brooklyn 99 last week as a witness sitting in the police station. If you see a guy in a checkered blue shirt with white sleeves, and a weird paper boy hat — that’s me!
Chrysalis: What are your other long-term goals? What’s next for you?
Joseph: I’m currently going to school, studying Computer Information Systems. I’m trying to get a certification in cyber security and my Associate of Science degree before I transfer to a four-year university. Chrysalis is giving me the ability and the flexibility to pursue that while still doing Roads.
I have seven years of medical billing experience and a diploma from a private college, but unfortunately that college doesn’t exist anymore and I lost all the documentation. But I’m figuring it out now, just like I’m figuring out this whole process. If you listen to what they’re telling you and you utilize what resources they’re providing you at Chrysalis, you can do things. You can accomplish something, it’s just a matter of being a student and constantly being willing to learn. I’m a constant student.
Chrysalis: What makes you a great employee? What would your coworkers say is your best quality?
Joseph: My mom always told me, “If you’re gonna do something, do it with a sense of pride. Don’t think you’re too good to do anything, there’s nothing below you.” I take pride in everything I do, no matter what my job is. Having a respect for anything you do is very important for building character and building respect for others, as well as yourself. And, it builds confidence and it shows you that you have the ability to accomplish any type of goals that have been set.
We go out in Roads, we clean a stretch of highway, and we do a good job. That’s just what our work ethic is out there. These traits are important for success. It doesn’t matter if you’re the CEO of a company or the janitor.
Chrysalis: What is your favorite hobby or special talent?
Joseph: I can pick up languages very easily. My father’s Hungarian and my mom’s Nicaraguan, and they met when they immigrated to Los Angeles. Growing up, I went to Hungary in the summers, so I know fluent Hungarian. I’m well-versed with Spanish too, and I speak a bit of French. I was four years old when I started speaking Hungarian, and I guess it rewired my brain to the point where I forgot English when I came back for preschool! I had to hear English again in school to be able to speak it again, but I never lost my ability to speak Hungarian. That’s a blessing, you know. I was just hearing what they were saying and associating it to an emotion, then for some reason, my brain was able to correlate that and I was able to speak it. That’s how I remember learning to speak Hungarian and Spanish. If I sit down and study German for about a month or so, I could speak it.
Chrysalis: Do you have a mantra or inspirational quote that keeps you motivated?
Joseph: Be honest with yourself and be honest with everyone around you. Think positive, be positive, and positive things will happen.
Chrysalis: What advice would you give to someone new to Roads?
Joseph: Have patience, have compassion, just stay the course. There’s no such thing as instant gratification in anything we do, but you can know that by doing this, anything else you do after this is easy peasy. If you can do this and do it one hundred percent, everything you do after this is gonna be a success — whether it’s for yourself, in an entrepreneurial sense, or working for another organization or company. You’ll gain a lot of experience and job skills you can utilize elsewhere. Come and do the best job you can, and be proud of what you’re doing.
Chrysalis: Thank you for your time, Joseph! We look forward to seeing what the future has in store for you.